This is hard!!!

[Brook]

Hi there

Hello,
I have been on Weight Watchers and just started this yesterday. I thought this would be soooo much better because you can "eat as much as you want" of certain things but I LOVE pasta, rice and bread and it is hard.

This jumped out at me. Atkins is a way of eating that allows us to eat until we're satisfied. That doesn't mean "as much as we want" and it doesn't mean until we're full - but satisfied. Dr. Atkins defined satisfied as eating until you're no longer hungry. There's a big difference! It's one of the beautiful things about Atkins and the other beautiful thing is that the program in it's beginning phase is fairly forgiving for most people- even if you're eating a lot.

It was mentioned earlier that too much protein turns into fat. That's not accurate - well, not directly. Too much protein can be converted into glucose by the body, but that's a *lot* of protein. Most people don't ingest much more protein than they always did to begin with, there's just more added fat and more emphasis on added fat and protein. Around here if you're feeling snacky you'll get advised to grab yourself some protein with fat -or some veggies with fat if you have any left in your daily allottment.

Any suggestions on a daily rountine? What out to eat places can you go to and order in the first two weeks and what do you order? Please help! I am at 176 pounds now and hope to get down to 125. I am 5'2 so I have a long road ahead. I do drink nothing but water now which is amazing considering I drank about 4 Dr.Peppers a day. Thanks everyone!

You'll find a lot of us list what we're eating in our journals (found in the Journal Chats and Journal Stats forums). That will give you lots of ideas. You can also google up "Induction menus" and get a ton of hits (beware though- it's up to you to verify that the menus are indeed induction appropriate).

You've gotten great advice so far as eating out is concerned. Keep it simple and you'll do amazing.

Remember, Dr. Atkins said that during induction "one bite is the kiss of death". The "just a bite won't hurt me" mentality is garbage. EVERY bite you take as the potential to either help you or hurt you, and when you're working so hard to get into ketosis, it's just not worth it.

Congrats on drinking all the water That's fantastic. Be sure you're taking your supplements and getting your exercise in too!

I wish you success.
~Brook

[soliwit]

Hey everybody already said what there has to be said so I only say: all of the above and WELCOME aboard !!!!

[Analog6]

Dear Kimeeb, the best advice I can give, and it's already in your replies, is KEEP A JOURNAL! I write down everything I eat in an exercise book, a week to a 2 page spread, and at the back my weight loss record, and I've even made a graph. That graph is pretty darn inspiring if I'm feeling a bit down or crave a wicked potato (and I just L O V E potatoes!).

Hang in there and you'll soon feel great and even better, thin!

[texasluvv]

Originally Posted by kimeeb

Hello,
I have been on Weight Watchers and just started this yesterday. I thought this would be soooo much better because you can "eat as much as you want" of certain things but I LOVE pasta, rice and bread and it is hard. Any suggestions on a daily rountine? What out to eat places can you go to and order in the first two weeks and what do you order? Please help! I am at 176 pounds now and hope to get down to 125. I am 5'2 so I have a long road ahead. I do drink nothing but water now which is amazing considering I drank about 4 Dr.Peppers a day. Thanks everyone!

yeah i hear you on that! i'm just fixing to start atkins and i'm wondering how i'm going to give up pasta and rice . i weigh about the same as you and i also want to get down to 120/125 i'm 5'3....and it is going to be a long road but you know what you always have to think about how you are going to feel about yourself and also how great you are going to look. just dont give up!! keep going!! GOOD LUCK!!!!

[Nell B]

This is only my second day, so I don't feel bad yet. It is hard. My mind is my worst enemy. I keep thinking about what I can't eat. I went to bed at 10 after 9 last night because I was hungry and had used up my carbs.

[teachergirl]

Nell B, I can relate to your feelings. Being a Texas girl, I am a carbohydrate junkie, and that was one of the hardest things for me to accept. The teacher's lounge is carb heaven....so I have to avoid that spot at all costs. I'll tell you what worked for me...I keep hard-boiled eggs in the fridge just in case I have "the starvies!" Lots of chicken and salad veggies help. I have had a long time of no weight loss success because I was always craving chocolate, bread and rice. Then, one of my colleagues went on Nutri-system and started losing weight, so she gave me the motivation to do something (plus not being able to wear 99% of the pants in my closet). Oh yeah, maybe my motivation was monetary! Anyway, I have tried to keep either an Atkins bar, shake or egg nearby, just in case.

I know you're not supposed to weigh every day, but I have to have instant gratification, and so far (over about 4 weeks) I've lost 14 1/2 pounds, and each day I'm either encouraged by a little loss, or motivated to dig in my Texas heels and drop a little more. YOU CAN DO THIS because the craving for pasta (gasp!) does got away. I'm in your corner, cheering you on! You go girl!

Texasluvv - you must be a born in Texas girl, like me....fixin to???...LOVE IT!!

[BabyDreamer]

Kimeeb,

I know it is hard, especially in the beginning. Just remeber that life is a choice. You made the choice to eat what you used to eat and you got a result and now you have taken control and made a choice to get healthy by altering what you are eating!

To me, it is a very empowering thing to know I am in CHARGE of what goes in my mouth now. I no longer allow Snickers, Doritos and Coke to tell me when to eat and how much to weigh. I eat healthy, whole foods that are good to my system and to my waist.

Honey, I was a FOOD ADDICT! In my house, my Dad was always yelling at me and my sister to lose weight...we went two ways...she is anorexic and a size 0 and I snuck and ate and ate and ate...and now I weight 260.

Your life is more valuable than a candy bar, a pizza or a "insert you favorite bad food here". You are priceless!

My advice is to give it the full 14 days. See how you feel. Keep legal snacks around (avoid frankenfoods), eat until you are satisfied, drink more water than you ever thought you could and exercise. You will see big a big difference in 14 days. The scales will most likely go down, you will feel sooooooooo much better and you will be more in control of your health than you probably have been in a long time.

Best wishes!

Deb

Originally Posted by kimeeb

Hello,
I have been on Weight Watchers and just started this yesterday. I thought this would be soooo much better because you can "eat as much as you want" of certain things but I LOVE pasta, rice and bread and it is hard. Any suggestions on a daily rountine? What out to eat places can you go to and order in the first two weeks and what do you order? Please help! I am at 176 pounds now and hope to get down to 125. I am 5'2 so I have a long road ahead. I do drink nothing but water now which is amazing considering I drank about 4 Dr.Peppers a day. Thanks everyone!

[2big4mysize]

so how you doing today?

[JenDoe]

Hi and welcome

I totally sympathise on the food thing, I ate pasta every other day before Atkins and I loved it, but I love losing weight more

Hope its going well!

Jen
x